Parachute jumper&#39;s hatch for airplanes



i Nov. 23, 1943.

T. W. SWIECH PARACHUTE JUMPERS HATCH FOR AIRPLANES 7 Filed Aug. 27, 1941Tim/are M/fz/ (I'M/ 4k I lNVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 23, 1943 UNITEDSTATE PARACHUTE J UMPERS HATCH FOR AIRPLAN ES Theodore Walter Swiech,New York Mills, N. Y.

Application August 2'7, 1941, Serial No. 408,508

1 Claim.

This invention relates to airplanes and more particularly it is theprincipal object of this invention to provide a hatch at the rear of thefuselage of the airplane through which a person equipped with aparachute may safely jump, the invention being applicable either tocivil or military airplanes. In the conventional form of airplane aparachute jumper exits from the plane either through a doorway in theside of the plane or from the cockpit of the plane. In either case boththe doorway or the cockpit are in close proximity to the wings, ruddersor landing gear of the airplane such that great danger exists in theparachute not clearing the same and thus becoming entangled therewiththereby endangering the life of the parachute jumper and the safety ofthe plane and its passengers. This invention contemplates the provisionof a special hatch at the tail end of the airplane fuselage that may beopened from the interior of the plane to provide an opening and platformthrough which the parachute jumper may safely jump rearwardly in adirection away from the plane, the plane in the meanwhile continuinginits forward movement. In this manner there is no danger of the parachutetangling with any of the extending structure of the airplane.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention resides inthe novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed maybe made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from thespirit of the invention.

A practical embodiment of the invention is 11- lustrated in theaccompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an airplane provided withparachute jumpers hatch opened in tail end of airplane.

Figure 2 shows in side elevation the tail of the airplane with the hatchclosed.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 33, Fig. 2, showing hatch anddoor construction.

Figure 4 is an end elevational view of the tail of the airplane withhatch doors closed.

Referring to the drawing in detail, l denotes the fuselage of anairplane provided with conventional wings ll, side door l2 and ruddersl3 at the tail end I4.

Preferably in applying this invention to airplanes the tail end l4thereof should be constructed so as to provide a height sufficient topermit a person to stand and walk therethrough although the height neednot be sufficient to permit the person to stand or walk erect. Thus, thetail end [4 of the airplane shows a preferred hatch construction whereinthe interior Vertical side Walls l5 and I6 are of segmental cylindricalcurvature the inner edges thereof defining an entrance I! communicatingthe interior of the hatch I8 with a passageway I9. The side Walls l5 andI6 are equidistantly spaced from the vertical longitudinal center planeof the fuselage. Provided within the side walls I5 and It in concentricrelation thereto are the cylindrical curved openings 20 and 2|, each ofwhich slidably receives, respectively, a sliding cylindrically curveddoor 22 and 23.

The sliding doors 22 and 23 are each provided at the opposed edgesthereof with interengaging mating flanges 24 and 25 to insure a tightweather proof connection when the doors are closed. Suitable means (notshown) is provided in the interior of the hatch for maintaining thedoors locked and by which the doors may be unlocked to permit the sameto be opened by a sliding movement into the door receiving openings 20and 2|. At their innermost ends each door is provided with a recessedshoulder 26 adapted to be engaged by a spring pressed holding latch 21when the doors are completely slid into their respective openings. Inthe form shown the holding latch 21 is mounted on a flat leaf spring 28,there being provided a handle 29 for pulling the latch free from itsengagement with its associated shoulder 26.

The doors 22 and 23 when opened are Wholly within the door receivingopenings 20 and 2|,

and are held therein against outward movement by the holding latches 21.There is thus provided an unobstructed exit passage for the hatch 18through which a parachute jumper may freely step into space as clearlyshown in Fig. 1. As the airplane moves forwardly it is clearly apparentthat the parachute can never foul on any part thereof.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, whatis claimed is:

In an airplane, a parachute jumpers hatch in the tail end of thefuselage of the airplane, said hatch comprising opposed side walls ofsegmental cylindrical curvature each equidistantly spaced from thevertical longitudinal center plane of the fuselage and defining a,forward entry passage and a rear exit passage located at the extremeterminal tail end of said fuselage, a pair of sliding doors for saidexit passage each of segmental cylindrical curvature, said hatch wallseach having an opening for wholly receiving therein an adjacent slidingdoor, and holding latch means adapted to engage each of said slidingdoors for locking the same when within its associated opening, saidsliding doors having at their opposed outer ends mating flanges arrangedto abut each other in said vertical longitudinal center plane to providea weatherproof seal, and said holding latch means comprising ashouldered opening formed in each sliding door adia cent the inner edgethereof, a spring pressed holding latch mounted within each doorreceiving opening adapted to seat in said shouldered opening and ahandle means on each holding latch projecting through said hatch wallfor releasing said holding latch.

THEODORE W. SWIECH.

